Top tips: managing the latest round of right-to-buy

Our expert panel share their advice on how to handle the new right-to-buy. Let us know your thoughts in the comments section

Even with right-to-buy discounts, property in areas such as Fulham in London can be too expensive for council tenants to purchase. Photograph: Frantzesco Kangaris. Photograph: Frantzesco Kangaris Frantzesco Kangaris/Frantzesco Kangaris

The big difference is not the level of discount: It is the commitment to use the additional receipts from the right-to-buy sales for replacement new affordable rented housing. This is the first time the government has been prepared to recycle the additional receipts back into affordable housing directly.

One-for-one replacement of social housing: The government's aim is to achieve this nationally, but we have not said that it this will be possible in every local authority area. In some areas, we expect receipts to be high enough to fund more than one replacement home, in other areas it will be less.

It's too early to read much into low take-up rates: The main reason that sales haven't yet rocketed is that the scheme was only introduced in April. The feedback we've had from many authorities is that there has been a considerable increase in applications, though this obviously varies from area to area. But it takes time to buy a home, even if you're not in a chain, so we wouldn't have expected a big spike in the months immediately after the announcement.

Tenant freedoms: The government believes that former social tenants who have bought their homes under the right-to-buy should have the same freedoms as any other homeowner. Imposing restrictions on the letting of their homes could limit their ability to pursue employment opportunities and to buy larger homes to accommodate growing families.

Knowledge barrier: Many tenants don't know what the right-to-buy could offer them. There will be tenants for whom it is a fantastic opportunity but who do not know enough to take advantage of it. Should we be doing more to inform tenants?

Replacing sold homes: Local authorities need to be much more pro-active and creative in how they deliver replacement homes. Even local authorities without significant surplus housing land may still have other assets which could be converted into affordable housing as part of wider regeneration schemes.

It is very early days: We're expecting to see quite a significant number of acceptances and sales towards the end of the year.

Raising awareness: One of the successes we have had is through holding a series of roadshows which seek to inform tenants of the new right-to-buy, but also provide advice on the obligations and responsibilities of homeownership, as a well as having financial advisors on hand to offer advice.

The right-to-buy-part: We're looking at how we can introduce a form of shared ownership into our housing revenue account stock, whereby tenants could effectively part buy their home. Speaking to many of our tenants for whom the £75,000 discount is still not enough, there is a strong demand for being able to take advantage of this.

Right-to-buy and the housing benefit bill: Research by Sheffield University looked at the number of right-to-buy properties that may have ended up being rented out to people on housing benefit. It's definitely something future policy needs to fully consider. While their research is still indicative at this stage, it claims that the housing benefit bill has increased by £2bn as a result.

Geographical problems: The new flat national discount of up to £75,000 means that it is very tough in a number of areas, such as rural areas, across the country for housing associations and local authorities to replace the homes they may lose through right-to-buy.

I would be sceptical about early take-up: Securing a mortgage as a first-time buyer will naturally take time. Just because only one in 25 families who have expressed interest have completed their purchase does not mean that the other 24 are not progressing their sale.

Looking at the wider issues: There is too much focus on singular issues such as right-to-buy and not enough on whether the housing system is still fit for purpose given the enormous changes that have taken place: globalisation, mobility of labour, the EU and the internet. We still retain a command and control system based around local authority areas. The system is not fit for purpose and needs to be rebuilt with strong leadership and vision

Rent increases: One-for-one replacement will only financially work on the basis of the new home being rented at or close to 80% of market, that is the affordable rent product. Nationally, we will not be replacing social or target rent for social or target rent homes.

There is another reason for low take-up: Since 1980, of the 20,000 council homes sold 17,000 were houses with gardens. The majority of the remaining stock comprise flats. Given that we are carrying out capital investment to much of these blocks, potential applicants are likely to be wary of the contribution they will be required to make towards the costs.

Right-to-buy homes into the hands of private landlords: The private rented sector has canibalised both the social rented and owner occupied markets. Private landlords tend not to invest in building new homes, so an increase in the size of the private rented sector comes at the expense of the social rented and owner occupied sectors.

Councils need more say over what they sell and when: And there should be an end to discounts. You might term this 'opportunity to buy' rather than right to buy

Equity stakes: We should also look at allowing councils to keep an equity stake in each home sold, recognising that these homes were built and paid for with taxpayers' money.

LSVT landlords: As a large-scale voluntary transfer landlord, the issue is further complicated by the fact that we share our receipt with our transferring council, reducing our net receipt further. Currently we would need to sell more than three properties under right-to-buy to get sufficient funds to replace one. There is no prospect of one-for-onein my area of the country with our relatively low property values and high discounts. If there is to be no national redistribution mechanism, then it's difficult to see how there could be.

Net loss: One-for-one replacement based on the number of units sold under right-to-buy could still result in a net loss of social housing if the replacement properties are smaller have lower occupancy. The sale of a three-bedroom family house should be replaced on a like-for-like basis, and not with a one-bedroom flat.